March 26
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on March 26.
Events[edit]
- 1919 - With major league spring training again delayed in an attempt to cut down expenses, the Cardinals open training in St. Louis at Washington University's Francis Field.
- 1920 - At spring training, Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson is out of control in his first intersquad game, hitting three batters and walking two. One of the batters he hits is Bucky Harris, who takes a pitch that glances off the side of his head. Johnson gives up seven runs in three innings.
- 1936 - Hank Greenberg signs with the Detroit Tigers to a $20,000 contract, and Red Ruffing accepts $12,000 from the New York Yankees.
- 1937 - On the advice of Ty Cobb, Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio reduces the weight of his bat from 40 ounces to 36 ounces.
- 1939 - Tsuruo Otsuka of the Tokyo Senators reaches base despite striking out twice in one game.
- 1940 - Slugger Chuck Klein, who was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates, signs for his third stint with the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1947 - Cleveland Indians manager Lou Boudreau orders Jackie Price off the train at San Diego after Price lets loose two five-foot long snakes on the trip from Los Angeles. A coach full of women returning from the American Bowling Congress are extremely upset by the prank. After Indians owner Bill Veeck says "either the snakes go or Price goes," the 35-year-old infielder's days are numbered.
- 1951 - In an exhibition game at the University of Southern California, Mickey Mantle propels a home run estimated at 654 to 660 feet. The shot clears Bovard Field and then goes the width of a practice football field before landing. Mantle has two homers, a bases-loaded triple, and drives in seven runs as the Yankees flunk the Trojans, 15 - 1.
- 1952 - The St. Louis Cardinals purchase infielder Gene Mauch from the New York Yankees.
- 1960 - A Baltimore Orioles-Cincinnati Reds series scheduled for Havana, Cuba, is moved to Miami, Florida, by Baltimore chief Lee MacPhail. The Reds, with a minor league club in Cuba, want the trip, but the Orioles fear increased political unrest on the island.
- 1963 - On an all-or-nothing day for the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax, he gives up long balls to Roberto Clemente and Donn Clendenon, but strikes out nine Pirates batters in seven innings, and also gives up six runs. Sandy's performance probably looks pretty good to Pirate skipper Danny Murtaugh, whose own staff gives up 19 runs, but it doesn't prepare fans for the four-year run on which Brooklyn's late-blooming bonus baby is about to embark.
- 1969 - An indemnity of $540,000 is paid to the Pacific Coast League for Major League Baseball's invasion of San Diego and Seattle as a result of this year's expansion.
- 1973 - George Sisler dies in Richmond Heights, Missouri, at the age of 80. Sisler batted .340 with 2,812 hits over a 15-year major league career. In 1920, he set a major league record by collecting 257 hits, which will last into the next century. Sisler gained election to the Hall of Fame in 1939.
- 1974 - The Boston Red Sox dump two future Hall of Famers when designated hitter Orlando Cepeda and shortstop Luis Aparicio are both given their unconditional releases. Aparicio, who elects to retire, finishes his career with 2,677 hits and 506 stolen bases and will enter the Hall in 1984. Cepeda will eventually wind up with the Kansas City Royals, where he will complete his major league career this year. He will win election to Cooperstown in 1999.
- 1976 - The American League approves the sale of the Toronto Expansion franchise to the Labatt Brewing Company. The transaction is estimated at $7 million.
- 1977:
- Infielder Rico Petrocelli is released by the Boston Red Sox after a 13-season career for his only major league club. Petrocelli retires with 210 home runs and two All-Star appearances.
- The Oakland Athletics trade All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington to the Texas Rangers for two prospects and cash considerations.
- 1979 - The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants announce that the 1980 exhibition series between the two teams will be played in Tokyo, Japan. Nevertheless, Giants owner Bob Lurie leaves the decision up to his players, who reject the agreement.
- 1987 - The Philadelphia Phillies trade outfielder Gary Redus to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitcher Joe Cowley.
- 1991 - Pinch-hitter Dan Lehrman of Ball State University ties an NCAA record by hitting two home runs in the same inning in a 13 - 8 victory over Indiana-Purdue.
- 1996 - Voters in San Francisco vote 2-to-1 in favor of a privately-funded stadium to replace Candlestick Park, the windy 36-year-old home of the Giants. The passage of the measure, the first step towards building the 42,000 seat bayside park that will originally be known as "Pac Bell Park", exempts the Giants from the waterside height restrictions. Plans call for the park to be ready for Opening Day, 2000, a move that will turn around the franchise's fortunes.
- 1997 - The Florida Marlins acquire outfielder Cliff Floyd from the Montreal Expos in exchange for pitcher Dustin Hermanson and outfielder Joe Orsulak. The emergence of young super-prospect Vladimir Guerrero has made Floyd expendable.
- 1998 - Free agent second baseman Mark Lemke signs a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox.
- 2000 - In just 17.6 seconds, the Kingdome is demolished into a mound of rubble over 65 feet high thanks to 21.6 miles of detonation cord and 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite.
- 2001 - In a trade of pitchers, the Colorado Rockies send Brian Rose to the New York Mets in exchange for Mark Leiter. Rose will make three appearances for the Mets before being waived to the Florida Marlins.
- 2005 - The Rakuten Golden Eagles make their debut in the Pacific League in fine form, beating the Chiba Lotte Marines, 3 - 1, behind a five-hitter from Hisashi Iwakuma. Chiba Lotte will rebound to win the 2005 Japan Series while Rakuten will finish last like a typical expansion team.
- 2006 - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Larry Bigbie is expected to be sidelined two to three weeks with a stress fracture of his left foot, and Seattle Mariners starting center fielder Jeremy Reed has a broken bone in his right wrist and could miss six weeks.
- 2010:
- The 2010 Central League season begins. Tetsuya Utsumi allows four runs and fans ten in eight innings to lead the Yomiuri Giants to victory against Yakult. Kenji Johjima goes 3 for 4 with four RBI to lead his new team, the Hanshin Tigers, to a win over Yokohama. Finally, Kenta Maeda allows one hit in eight innings to give the Hiroshima Carp the win against Chunichi.
- Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts plays his first game of the spring after being sidelined by a bad back. He strikes out three times against the Twins¸ but says he feels great and is on track to be in the line-up on Opening Day.
- Alberto Callaspo, subbing at 3B for Alex Gordon, who broke his thumb in the Royals' third game of the spring, also injures himself, pulling a muscle in his right side during batting practice and is doubtful for Opening Day. Injuries have come in bunches for the Royals this spring, as CF Rick Ankiel and P Gil Meche have also been sidelined.
- 2011 - Veteran P Mike Hampton announces his retirement, ending an attempt to make the Arizona Diamondbacks' staff. Once one of the most durable and consistent starters in the game, he began a string of injuries in 2005 that stunted the last six years of his career. He retires with a record of 148-115.
- 2012 - José Dariel Abreu homers for the sixth straight game, tying a Cuban Serie Nacional record, and is gaining on Alfredo Despaigne in the home run race. Today's blow comes off Yamichel Pérez.
- 2013 - Sic transit gloria. Barely a week after completing a tremendous 2013 World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic by beating Puerto Rico in the championship game, P Samuel Deduno is reassigned to minor league camp by the Twins and will begin the year with the AAA Rochester Red Wings.
- 2015 - Brady Aiken, the first overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft who failed to reach an agreement with the Houston Astros, announces that he has undergone Tommy John surgery and will be out of action for a year. It is particularly tough news for Aiken, who decided not to go to college in order to be eligible for this year's draft; any club who selects him now will be making a big gamble, and is unlikely to make an offer anywhere near what Aiken turned down last year.
- 2016 - In the first of two exhibition games played in Mexico City, the Astros defeat the Padres, 11 - 1, thanks to back-to-back homers by Carlos Correa and Tyler White in the 4th. The series is part of an effort by Major League Baseball to increase its visibility in Mexico, whose growing middle class makes it a potential future location for a major league team.
- 2019 - This spring's trend of major league teams locking up key players with long-term deals continues. Following recent extensions granted to Mike Trout, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander, among others, today the Mets agree to a five-year extension with ace P Jacob deGrom for $137.5 million, while the Cubs ink Kyle Hendricks until 2023 for an extra $55.5 million.
- 2020 - On what should have been Opening Day in Major League Baseball, owners and the Players Association reach a deal on some of the issues stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Players will receive an advance of $170 million on salaries over the next two months, which is equivalent to around 4% of the salary mass, and prorated salaries relative to the number of games that will be played when the season eventually starts. The players will keep the advance even if the season is canceled. Players will be credited with service time equivalent to that compiled in 2019, meaning that free agency will not be delayed for those eligible after the season. Finally, MLB now has the right to shorten the 2020 amateur draft to five rounds from the usual forty, and to twenty rounds in 2021. Bonuses for undrafted players who still want to sign will be capped to $20,000.
- 2021 - Spring training is winding down on a sad note as Minnesota Twins bench coach Mike Bell, who had undergone surgery for kidney cancer in January, passes away from the disease. A member of one of baseball's most prominent families, he was only 46.
- 2024 - Pitcher Jordan Montgomery, the last front-rank free agent still on the market, agrees to a one-year deal worth $25 million with the Diamondbacks, the team he helped the Rangers defeat in the 2023 World Series.
Births[edit]
- 1850 - Morrie Critchley, pitcher (d. 1910)
- 1869 - Jack McCarthy, outfielder (d. 1948)
- 1874 - Gene DeMontreville, infielder (d. 1935)
- 1879 - Charles Moran, infielder (d. 1934)
- 1880 - Steamboat Johnson, umpire (d. 1951)
- 1884 - Rube Geyer, pitcher (d. 1962)
- 1887 - Frank Wilson, umpire (d. 1928)
- 1889 - Joe Burns, outfielder (d. 1987)
- 1889 - Brad Hogg, pitcher (d. 1935)
- 1891 - Hardin Barry, pitcher (d. 1969)
- 1893 - Frank Brower, outfielder (d. 1960)
- 1895 - Joe Klugmann, infielder (d. 1951)
- 1896 - Bullet Campbell, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1899 - Eddie Bryan, minor league pitcher (d. 1978)
- 1901 - Jim Battle, infielder (d. 1965)
- 1903 - Bill Albert, minor league outfielder (d. 1929)
- 1904 - Duke Lattimore, catcher (d. 1986)
- 1909 - Pete McQueen, outfielder (d. 1985)
- 1909 - Alex Mustaikis, pitcher (d. 1970)
- 1910 - Corito Varona, minor league manager (d. 1999)
- 1912 - Daniel Webster, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1913 - Bill Zuber, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1914 - Hal Epps, outfielder (d. 2004)
- 1917 - Clayton Lambert, pitcher (d. 1981)
- 1918 - Stan Bréard, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1972)
- 1918 - Jim Cohen, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2002)
- 1922 - James Heller, minor league pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1925 - Ben Mondor, minor league executive (d. 2010)
- 1927 - Bob Becker, minor league pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1928 - Eduardo López, Nicaraguan national team infielder (d. 2010)
- 1929 - Dan O'Brien, Sr., General Manager (d. 2017)
- 1932 - Reynaldo Oliver, minor league catcher (d. 2015)
- 1934 - José Echeverría, minor league infielder
- 1934 - Luciano Miani, Serie A1 player (d. 2020)
- 1936 - Harry Kalas, announcer (d. 2009)
- 1936 - Hiromi Wada, NPB catcher (d. 2009)
- 1939 - Ulysses Greene, Negro League pitcher (d. 2006)
- 1939 - Al Neiger, pitcher (d. 2022)
- 1940 - Tony Patch, umpire (d. 2009)
- 1942 - Mel Queen, pitcher, manager (d. 2011)
- 1949 - Roger Hambright, pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1950 - Pete Doumit, college coach (d. 2018)
- 1950 - Steve Patchin, minor league catcher
- 1955 - Dan Morogiello, pitcher
- 1956 - Ho-kyun Lim, KBO pitcher
- 1958 - Chris Codiroli, pitcher
- 1961 - Mike Warren, pitcher
- 1961 - Mickey Weston, pitcher
- 1962 - Kevin Seitzer, infielder; All-Star
- 1963 - Luis Medina, infielder
- 1964 - Mike Loynd, pitcher
- 1967 - Jarvis Brown, outfielder
- 1967 - Shawn Hare, outfielder
- 1968 - Gerald Alexander, pitcher
- 1968 - Shane Reynolds, pitcher; All-Star
- 1968 - Jose Vizcaino, infielder
- 1970 - Thierry Parduyns, First Division player
- 1971 - Frank Lankford, pitcher
- 1971 - Carlos Marte, Guatemalan national team coach (d. 2015)
- 1971 - Jesus Tavarez, outfielder
- 1972 - Chad Epperson, minor league catcher and manager
- 1972 - Jason Maxwell, infielder
- 1975 - Osmin Melendez, minor league infielder and manager
- 1977 - Ryan Jaroncyk, minor league infielder
- 1978 - Yusuke Arakawa, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Sung-Shan Kao, Chinese Taipei national team pitcher
- 1979 - Vermon Diaz, Philippines national team outfielder
- 1979 - Jason Dubois, outfielder
- 1979 - Gabor Nagy, Hungarian national team pitcher
- 1980 - Said Gutierrez, minor league catcher
- 1981 - Geon-han Kim, KBO pitcher
- 1981 - Jesus Merchan, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Josh Wilson, infielder
- 1982 - Ryan Bethel, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Brendan Ryan, infielder
- 1983 - Eric Hacker, pitcher
- 1984 - Mario Alvarez, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Teruo Kawawaki, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1985 - Jung-Chia Chi, CPBL infielder
- 1985 - Fa'Asilasila Spencer, American Samoa national team player
- 1986 - Ken-Wei Lin, Taiwan national team outfielder
- 1988 - Marcus Hatley, pitcher
- 1988 - Marko Lezaic, New Zealand national team outfielder
- 1989 - Nick Lobanov, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Jett Bandy, catcher
- 1991 - Matt Davidson, infielder
- 1991 - Odrisleisis Peguero, Cuban women's national team outfielder
- 1991 - Hernan Perez, infielder
- 1991 - Rob Refsnyder, infielder
- 1991 - Lukas Steinlein, Bundesliga pitcher-infielder
- 1991 - Michael Taylor, outfielder
- 1992 - Ramon Flores, outfielder
- 1992 - Kevin Walsh, college coach
- 1992 - Rob Zastryzny, pitcher
- 1993 - Johan Höglund, Elitserien infielder
- 1993 - Trevor Oaks, pitcher
- 1994 - Yi-Hung Chen, Taiwan national team infielder
- 1994 - Philip Schulz, Bundesliga infielder
- 1996 - Yanpeng Chen, China Baseball League outfielder
- 1996 - Ernesto Liberatore, minor league catcher
- 1996 - Shao-Wei Liu, CPBL pitcher
- 1997 - Cristian Javier, pitcher
- 1997 - Po-Hsun Liao, CPBL outfielder
- 1997 - Chase Sebby, minor league coach
- 1998 - Eric Yang, catcher
- 1999 - Conor Laverty, Australian national team pitcher
- 2000 - Jeremiah Jackson, minor league infielder
- 2005 - Yin-Hao Lai, CPBL pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1886 - Harrison Noxon, umpire (b. 1850)
- 1922 - Count Gedney, outfielder (b. 1849)
- 1936 - Dan Costello, outfielder (b. 1891)
- 1936 - Ed Hawk, pitcher (b. 1888)
- 1937 - Jerry Nops, pitcher (b. 1875)
- 1938 - Harry Hempstead, executive (b. 1868)
- 1942 - Jimmy Burke, infielder, manager (b. 1874)
- 1944 - Neil Stynes, catcher (b. 1868)
- 1947 - Jim Bluejacket, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1949 - Mike Jacobs, infielder (b. 1876)
- 1960 - Dan Tipple, pitcher (b. 1890)
- 1967 - George Wilson, catcher (b. 1889)
- 1969 - Juan Ley Fong, minor league executive (b. 1900)
- 1973 - George Sisler, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1893)
- 1974 - Art Kores, infielder (b. 1886)
- 1975 - Harley Young, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1977 - Art Patchin, minor league pitcher (b. 1911)
- 1979 - Louis Dula, pitcher (b. 1912)
- 1982 - Shigeru Mizuhara, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1909)
- 1984 - Bobby Robinson, outfielder (b. 1913)
- 1986 - Mel Bosser, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1987 - Murray Watkins, infielder; All-Star (b. 1915)
- 1990 - Chet Brewer, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1907)
- 1992 - C.C. Johnson Spink, writer (b. 1916)
- 1992 - Pete Jones, catcher (b. 1919)
- 2002 - Whitey Wietelmann, infielder (b. 1919)
- 2005 - Marius Russo, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1914)
- 2011 - Bill Aker, college coach (b. 1939)
- 2011 - Robert Underwood, Negro League infielder (b. 1934)
- 2012 - Wen-Ming Huang, CPBL catcher (b. 1963)
- 2014 - Gabriel Acosta, minor league pitcher (b. 1940)
- 2014 - George Lerchen, outfielder (b. 1922)
- 2015 - Antonio Jiménez Casa Del Valle, Cuban national team outfielder (b. ????)
- 2016 - Chick Leahey, college coach (b. 1925)
- 2017 - Todd Frohwirth, pitcher (b. 1962)
- 2018 - Jerry Moses, catcher; All-Star (b. 1946)
- 2020 - Jimmy Wynn, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1942)
- 2021 - Mike Bell, infielder (b. 1974)
- 2022 - Jesse Hickman, pitcher (b. 1939)
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